1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to food storage containers, and more particularly to a container with a variable inner volume for preserving freshness of an easily oxidized food while also providing for storage and serving functionality.
2. Description of Related Art
Not all food products that are made or purchased are consumed immediately. This necessitates a suitable storage device for the food product surplus. In addition, many in the culinary arts or simply those that create food products require a suitable storage device to preserve their creations. Modern storage devices are often bowls, canisters, boxes, and variously sized and shaped containers. Many of these containers have lids to enclose the created food product to prevent spills and spoilage. While such storage devices are perfectly suited to many food products, the air contained within these storage devices during use can contribute to faster degradation and spoilage of the food product stored within. Many food products that are vegetable or fruit based, or even meat based, will not only dry out when exposed to air, they will also discolor and break down, making the food product less desirable or even inedible. An example of such a food product that degrades rapidly in the presence of air is guacamole, an avocado based spread or dip that has become very popular in recent years, and is well suited for accompanying chips and Mexican dishes, often being served with corn chips of various shapes and recipes. Guacamole is notorious for turning an unpleasant brown color at the surface when exposed to air. If the prepared guacamole is stored in many of the food storage containers that are readily available today, the entrapped air in the food storage container quickly results in discoloration and breakdown of the guacamole that in turn results in spoilage and waste. This problem of food degradation is often caused by rapid oxidation of various components of the food product. Large commercial food processors will often use vacuum packaging or nitrogen packaging to provide longer shelf life for their products. While such systems work well, they are typically expensive and not very applicable to a home kitchen environment. In addition, they are not well suited to many food products such as dips or spreads.
What is therefore needed is a container that preserves the freshness of an easily oxidized food product, is easy to use and cost effective. It is thus an object of the present invention to provide a container that preserves the freshness of an easily oxidized food.
These and other objects of the present invention are not to be considered comprehensive or exhaustive, but rather, exemplary of objects that may be ascertained after reading this specification and claims with the accompanying drawings.